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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26790085">Mismatched Crossing!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze/pseuds/brumalbreeze'>brumalbreeze</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, Requited Unrequited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:20:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26790085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brumalbreeze/pseuds/brumalbreeze</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Deuce has love problems, and Cater has answers... probably. What starts off as a simple request for relationship tips turns into an unwieldy handful, and Trey's wild assumptions makes an already sizable disaster into an even bigger mess. Meanwhile, Ace's life is Suffering™.</p><p>(A romantic comedy that takes the idea of "idiots in love" and goes wild with it. Trey/Cater and Deuce/Ace.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Deuce Spade/Ace Trappola, Trey Clover/Cater Diamond</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>149</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The "true" title of this is 不一致クロッシング! One of these days, I'll give up on the kanji + katakana style of titling my Twst fics. One of these days...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hm…” Trey glanced around the lounge and frowned when he failed to find the person he was looking for. He checked his phone again, half-hoping there would be a new Magicam notification that would aid him in his search, but luck was not on his side. He hummed again and left the room, heading to the exit of the dorm instead. </p><p>He had only taken a few steps toward the rose maze when a familiar and bright pop of color caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he turned his head to see what it was. And just as he thought, there was Cater, leaning against the side of the dorm building and scrolling through his phone. Trey wasn’t sure what he was doing out here, but he was glad he finally managed to find him.</p><p>He smiled and started walking toward Cater. Then, he raised his hand in greeting and opened his mouth.</p><p>“Diamond-senpai!”</p><p>“Whoops…” Trey stopped walking and pulled his hand back.</p><p>Just as he was about to call out to Cater, Deuce came running from one of the rose maze’s exits and came to a hasty stop in front of Cater.</p><p>“S… Sorry I’m late. I got… lost in the maze,” he wheezed. He looked completely frazzled. “Were you waiting for long?”</p><p>Trey smiled resignedly and backed away. His business with Cater wasn’t urgent, and he didn’t want to interrupt Deuce and Cater. It looked like they had made plans to meet up, after all.</p><p>“Haha! I just got here too, so no worries, Deuce-chan!” Cater put his phone away and smiled brightly at Deuce. “Oh, hold still. Your hair’s all messed up.” He reached out and smoothed out Deuce’s flyaway hair. After he was done, Cater patted him gently. “All good!”</p><p>A warm smile bloomed across Deuce’s face, and his gaze softened. “Thanks.”</p><p>Trey’s smile, on the other hand, faltered slightly. He swallowed, not entirely sure why his chest felt a little tight at the scene, but he shook his head to get rid of the feeling. It was a good thing Cater was taking care of Deuce. He was, after all, Deuce’s friend and senpai. It was natural to look after him. Trey understood the feeling well. Sometimes, he found himself fussing over Deuce too. But…</p><p>He clenched his hand by his side and turned around. He’ll find Cater again later in the day. For now, it would be polite to leave Cater and Deuce alone.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“So what is it you wanted to ask me, Deuce-chan?”</p><p>After meeting up outside the dorm, Cater and Deuce went into the rose maze together. Cater led them, easily navigating his way through the winding paths and away from the exit.</p><p>“Um… Could you promise to keep it a secret?” Deuce asked, looking nervous and jittery.</p><p>“Hm?” Cater looked at him curiously. “Mmm, sure! I promise,” he said and gave Deuce a peace sign.</p><p>The tension in Deuce’s shoulders relaxed a bit but almost immediately returned. “I… I thought I’d ask you, since you have a lot of experience in the field, but… could you give me some relationship advice?”</p><p>Cater stopped in his tracks and gasped loudly. “Deuce-chan!” he said in a stage whisper, “Are you <em>dating </em>someone?”</p><p>Immediately, Deuce flushed as red as the maze’s roses after they’ve been painted. “N-No! I’m not! Not… Not yet. I mean, I want to? But… I don’t know how to get to that point.”</p><p>“Ooh, Deuce-chan!” Cater laughed and slapped him on the back heartily. “Okay, okay! Just leave everything to your trusty senpai! I’ve got you covered!”</p><p>Deuce smiled at him, equal parts uncertain and embarrassed. “Thank you.”</p><p>“We’re almost at my secret spot, so hang on for a bit. I don’t want to miss a single detail from you,” Cater said, walking a little faster than before.</p><p>They rounded one last corner and came to a dead end with an aged-looking bench. Since the garden was regularly tended, the area wasn’t overgrown by any means, but it definitely wasn’t one of the most well-traveled paths in the maze. Cater immediately took a seat on the stone bench and patted the space next to him.</p><p>Deuce sat down as beckoned and tried not to fidget too much.</p><p>“So? You like someone, right?” Cater asked, eyes sparkling. He was always on the lookout for new information, gossip, and trends, so getting to hear something right from the source was a real treat. Of course, he wasn’t going to divulge the information to anyone since he had promised Deuce, but that didn’t change the tastiness of the information.</p><p>“Y-Yeah…” he said, trying and failing to keep Cater’s gaze. “I want to ask them out, but I figured it’d be better if I made my intentions clear first so they know I’m interested in them.”</p><p>“Mm-hm,” he hummed approvingly. It was just like Deuce to be so proper and upright about the whole thing.</p><p>“But I’ve never liked anyone seriously before, so I don’t know how I should do things…”</p><p>“No problem! Everyone gets nervous around their crush and doesn’t know what to do with themselves! You got those heart palpitations and sweaty palms, and it’s just a mess, I know!” he said and nodded solemnly. “But you came to the right person for advice! Now, I can give you all the generic advice you want, but it’d be a lot more effective if I knew who you’re interested in so I can give you really detailed tips. Care to tell me who is?”</p><p>“You won’t laugh? Or tell them?”</p><p>“Nope to both! Promise.”</p><p>“Okay,” he said, turning pink again. He ducked his head and began picking at his gloves. “It’s… ce…”</p><p>Cater tilted his head in question. “Sorry, come again? I couldn’t hear.”</p><p>Deuce took in a deep breath and said in one rushed burst, “It’sAce.”</p><p>If he was being honest, the answer didn’t really surprise Cater, but hearing Deuce say it definitively made him pause and blink for a split second. Then, he grinned. His first time giving love advice, and his job was practically a guaranteed success already.</p><p>He was positive Deuce didn’t even have to do anything other than blurt out a confession before Ace would agree to go out with him, but Deuce obviously didn’t understand that his feelings were reciprocated. Besides, if Deuce wanted to do things properly, then Cater was more than happy to help him.</p><p>“Ace-chan, huh?” he said. “You two are practically a pair already, and I think you’d be great together! An incredible disaster and even more of a handful than you are now but a picture perfect pair nevertheless.”</p><p>“Um, er… Thanks?” Deuce said haltingly. He was too flustered to parse Cater’s words properly, so he just accepted them all as praise.</p><p>“Usually, I’d suggest you try to get to know the person you like more, but since you two know each other well enough, I think you can skip right to the next step.”</p><p>“Which is…?”</p><p>“Gift giving! But not just any old gift. You want to make sure he knows you’ve been paying attention to and thinking of him, so you want to get him something nice and thoughtful. I suggest you give him a practical item so he’ll think of you every time he uses it.” Cater paused. “Has he mentioned needing anything recently?”</p><p>Deuce furrowed his brows and brought a hand to his chin. After a few moments of thinking, he shook his head. “No… Not that I can remember, anyway.”</p><p>“How about something he’s been troubled by? If you can give him something that would solve his problem, I’m sure he’d appreciate it!”</p><p>“A problem…?” He fell quiet again as he mulled over his thoughts. Then, his face cleared up, and he gasped. “I know! He mentioned he keeps forgetting assignment due dates and stuff even though he’s been writing them down in his phone.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s really easy to solve, then!” Cater said.</p><p>Deuce nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I know just what to get him!”</p><p>“Good, good,” Cater said happily, patting Deuce on the shoulder. “You don’t have to wrap it up or anything if you want to seem more casual, but you should try to give it to him when you two are alone. It’ll make it more special!”</p><p>“Okay! Thanks so much for the advice, Diamond-senpai!” Deuce stood up, looking ready for anything. “I’ll go buy it right now!” He bowed swiftly in thanks and started marching away.</p><p>Cater hurriedly stood up and chased after him. “Wait, Deuce-chan! I’ll lead us back out! You’re going to get lost again…!”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><em>“Thanks so much again for today, Diamond-senpai</em>,” Deuce’s message read. <em>“I was able to buy Ace’s present right after meeting with you. I’m planning to give it to him tomorrow.”</em></p><p>Cater giggled as he read the text and tapped out a quick response. <em>“Good luck! Lmk how things go, okay?”</em></p><p>He just finished sending the message when he heard two knocks on his door. Cater half-sat up from his bed and looked across his room.</p><p>“Cater, it’s me. Are you in?”</p><p>“Hm…?” He swung his legs off his bed and trotted over to the door, pushing his loose bangs from his face while he was at it. “Yes, one second!” He opened the door and, just as he expected, was greeted by Trey. “Trey-kun! What brings you here this late at night?”</p><p>“Nothing, really. I just had something to give you, so I thought I’d come over before I forgot.”</p><p>He looked at Trey in surprise. “You got me something?”</p><p>“Yeah. It’s not much, but here.” He held out a small, white paper bag.</p><p>“Thanks,” he said, taking it carefully. Whatever was inside it was really light. “Is it okay if I open it now?”</p><p>Trey nodded. “Go ahead.”</p><p>Cater turned the bag around and removed the piece of tape holding it shut. The paper crinkled as he opened it and peered into the bag. “Oh!”</p><p>He tipped the bag upside down and caught the item in his palm. It was a simple black hair tie with a tiny metal charm in the shape of a diamond. A sparkling green gemstone dangled along with the charm. It was clearly not an expensive hair tie, but it was cute in its own way.</p><p>“What’s this for?” Cater asked with a grin as he turned the band until the diamond charm and gemstone were clearly visible.</p><p>“You said your last hair tie snapped the other day, right? I was in the Mystery Shop when I spotted this, so I thought I’d get it for you. Should I have gotten the value pack instead?”</p><p>He laughed at Trey’s no-nonsense question. “No, this is fine! Super cute too. I love it!”  Cater tied his hair back in a low ponytail with practiced ease and turned around. “How’s it look?”</p><p>Trey didn’t answer immediately. After a long second, he said, “… It goes well with your hair.”</p><p>“Hehe, does it? Yay!” He faced Trey again. “Seriously, thanks for this. It’s been a pain trying to wash my face with my hair getting in the way these past few days!” He sighed and dropped his shoulders.</p><p>“I’m glad you like it so much,” Trey said with a gentle smile.</p><p>“Of course,” Cater replied, “you got it for me, after all.”</p><p>A stunned look passed over Trey’s features briefly, but before he could say anything, Cater’s phone let out a chirp from his bed.</p><p>Cater instinctively turned at the sound. “Oops, sorry about that. Must’ve gotten a new message.”</p><p>Trey shook his head. “It’s fine. Anyway, it’s getting pretty late, so I should let you sleep. Don’t stay on Magicam too late tonight.”</p><p>“No promises,” Cater said and stuck out his tongue playfully. “Good night, though, Trey-kun.”</p><p>“Good night, Cater. Sleep well.”</p><p>“You too!” He waved briefly at Trey and closed the door after he walked away. Cater hummed as he pulled the band from his hair and admired it. Then, he slipped it on his wrist, sat on his bed, and picked up his phone to check it.</p><p>As expected, he had received a message from Deuce. It simply read, <em>“I will! Thank you!”</em></p><p>Cater nodded, still smiling. After sending an affirmative sticker back to Deuce, he opened up his camera app and held his phone up. He snapped some experimental pictures of the hair tie on his wrist, readjusted it, and changed angles a few times. After half a dozen shots, he was finally satisfied with what he had.</p><p>Once he selected the best picture, he shifted on his bed until his back was to his headboard. It didn’t take him long to choose the perfect filter and apply the right amount of focus blur on the image. He had captured the simple charms on the hair tie just right so they glimmered like finely crafted jewelry on his bare wrist.</p><p>His fingers flew across his screen as he typed out a string of hashtags and sent the picture on Magicam for the world to see.</p><p>Cater locked his screen and glanced down at the band on his wrist. It really wasn’t much, but it already felt special to him. After all, Trey had specifically chosen and gotten it for him. A surge of emotion overtook him, and he hugged his arm to his chest. He furrowed his eyebrows and smiled softly, wishing his heart wouldn’t beat so fast.</p><p>Meanwhile, back in his own room, Trey’s phone chimed on his desk. He tapped the Magicam notification on his screen and unlocked his phone. It immediately loaded the app and brought him to Cater’s newest post.</p><p>A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he read the caption.</p><p>
  <em>Guess who got a surprise present tonight? </em>
  <em>♪</em>
</p><p>
  <em>#LateNightGift #FunctionalFashion #NRC #TYTreyKun #YoureTheBest #GladYouDidntGetTheValuePackLol</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Cross your fingers and hope I finish this fic. :'-)</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind">Twitter's</a> the best place to find me! If you were trying to find me, anyway.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The chaos commences.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cater had just returned to his room when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and unlocked it with ease, barely even glancing at the push notification that told him he got a new message from Deuce.</p><p><em>“Diamond-senpai… It didn’t go well,” </em>it read.</p><p>Cater furrowed his eyebrows. He readjusted his hold on his phone and typed, <em>“What happened?”</em></p><p>While he waited for a response, he dropped his book bag off at his desk and sat on his bed. A new reply appeared right as he settled down.</p><p>
  <em>“It’s kind of a long story, but he didn’t like what I got him…”</em>
</p><p>How could that be? All Deuce needed to do was buy Ace a daily planner or something and give it to him. From the conversation they had the day before, Deuce seemed 100% sure about what he needed to get, so Cater assumed he bought the right gift but… maybe he didn’t? Cater suddenly remembered that it was Deuce he was dealing with, and the possibility of him buying the wrong thing suddenly didn’t seem so outlandish anymore.</p><p>He sighed. “Oh, Deuce-chan,” he muttered. Cater started a new message and nearly finished his inquiry of “What did you get him?” before he changed his mind and deleted it. Instead, he opened up his calendar app, checked a few things, and returned to the chat. <em>“Are you free tomorrow?” </em>he typed,<em> “I wanted to go into town this weekend to do some shopping anyway, so we can talk about what happened then and try to figure things out.”</em></p><p>For a few seconds, he watched the phrase “<em>Deuce Spade is typing…</em>” on the bottom of his screen appear and disappear until a new message came through.</p><p>
  <em>“Yes, I’ll be free then. I’m sorry to make you have to help me again.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t worry about it! I told you to leave it all to me, right? Anyway, I’m sure we can work something out and win Ace-chan’s heart for you!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“M../ &gt;90”</em>
</p><p>Cater stared at the nonsense text. Immediately after, another popped up. This one read, <em>“Sorwjnm”</em></p><p>He laughed, finally realizing what was happening. He bit his lower lip and tried to stifle his smile while he waited for Deuce to compose himself.</p><p>Finally, after half a minute, a coherent message appeared. <em>“Sorry, I dropped my phone.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Np! Anyway, I can take care of the paperwork to get permission to leave campus tomorrow, so I’ll see you then.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you.”</em>
</p><p>Cater shook his head with a smile. What a hopeless boy.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The algorithms for Magicam must have changed recently. Maybe. At least, Trey thinks they have. He definitely didn’t use the app as much as Cater did, but he felt like his feed wasn’t loading the same way it used to. Now, it automatically showed him recommended posts and accounts, probably based off the kinds of pictures he had liked before. Considering most of what he liked were Cater’s hashtag-laden pictures, there were a lot of random recommended posts he wasn’t so sure about.</p><p>He scrolled past those without a second glance, but a particularly artfully arranged photograph of glazed cakes and sugar-dusted cookies caught his eye and gave him pause. He tapped on the user of the post and realized it was the account of a recently opened café/bakery. They didn’t have many posts, but the ones they did have were beautiful.</p><p>Trey hummed and opened the link that led to the bakery’s official website. Their pastries certainly looked good, but Trey wanted to taste for himself how good they actually were. Maybe he could learn a thing or two about their techniques if he checked the place out. It would be nice to add more recipes to his repertoire as well.</p><p>After checking the bakery’s address and seeing that it was located in the town near campus, Trey made up his mind. He was fine going by himself, but he knew someone else who would appreciate the opportunity for a good photo op.</p><p><em>“Hey,”</em> he began typing in his on-going chat with Cater, <em>“are you free this Saturday? I found a new café that looks nice. If you are, why don’t we check it out?”</em> He sent it and sat back in his seat. It probably wouldn’t take long before he got a response. While he mulled over that, two knocks suddenly sounded on his door, startling him from his thoughts.</p><p>Through the door, a muffled and familiar “Trey-kun?” filtered to him.</p><p>He wasn’t expecting a response <em>that</em> fast. Trey glanced at the screen of his phone. His message hadn’t even been read yet. “Yes, come in,” he said, putting his phone on his desk and turning around.</p><p>The door opened, and Cater walked in breezily. “Hi, hi!” he said, waving at him.</p><p>“Cater,” he said, “Perfect. I just sent you a message.”</p><p>“Huh? You did?” Cater fished his phone from the pocket of his striped bathrobe and checked it. Just at that moment, it buzzed. “Oops, here it is.” His eyebrows furrowed when he read the short text. “Oh, um…”</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Cater said, smiling apologetically. “Just bad timing. I already have plans to go out tomorrow. I was actually here to get approval to leave campus.” As he said that, he held out two paper forms to Trey.</p><p>He took them wordlessly and checked them over. One of them was for Cater, and the other was filled out for Deuce. “Ah,” he said. “I see… Guess I was a little too late!”</p><p>“Sorry, Trey-kun!”</p><p>Trey laughed. “No need to apologize. I’m sure we can find another time to go.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Cater said again, looking sad. “But yeah, for sure! Anyway, do the forms look okay?”</p><p>“Mm, yeah,” he replied, reading them again. He turned back to his desk, grabbed his pen, and signed both of them. “I’ll make sure these get to Riddle tomorrow morning, so you’re free to go.”</p><p>“Thanks a bunch!” Cater said with a wink.</p><p>“No problem. I hope you have fun tomorrow.”</p><p>Cater looked surprised at his words, but he immediately grinned, as if he remembered something funny. “Yeah, I’m sure I will!”</p><p>Trey tilted his head to the side curiously, but he didn’t press for more details. At least Cater looked like he was enjoying himself already.</p><p>“Anyway, I’d better go now. Nighty night!”</p><p>“Good night.”</p><p>Trey watched as Cater left the room. It was then that he noticed Cater had his hair tied back again. A flash of silver and caught his eye, and Trey realized Cater was using the hair tie he had given him. An unconscious smile floated to his mouth.</p><p>Right before Cater closed the door behind him, he turned around, grinned, and waved. Trey automatically raised a hand to wave back. The door closed quietly, and he let his arm down once more.</p><p>The hair band really did suit Cater, just like he thought it would.</p><p>His gaze fell to the papers that were still on his desk. He picked both up and straightened them together. Deuce’s sheet was on top, and Trey stared at his name. The light, fluffy feeling in his chest he just felt moments earlier fizzled away as he did, and he tightened his lips.</p><p>It was too bad he couldn’t hang out with Cater, but… Trey was sure he’d have a good day with Deuce.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“So?” Cater said, rubbing the side of his glass with his thumb as he looked across the table at Deuce, “What happened?” </p><p>Deuce continued to stare at his own cup, obviously still down about the whole situation. He let out a world-weary sigh and slumped his shoulders.</p><p>After arriving into town, Cater suggested they stop by a café for drinks so they could talk more leisurely, and Deuce had agreed. They didn't have a set time schedule, so the day was all theirs to use. At the moment, they had just settled down at a table with their drinks and were getting ready to talk.</p><p>“Well,” Deuce started, sighing again before he continued, “I managed to find him after club practice ended yesterday…”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Ace!” Deuce jogged toward Ace as he called out to him. </p><p>At the sound of his name, Ace turned around. “Well, if it isn't Deuce. What's up?”</p><p>Because they had both just finished club, they were still in their sports uniforms. Deuce had his duffle bag slung over one shoulder and a plastic bag from the Mystery Shop dangling from his hand.</p><p>Deuce stopped once he reached Ace and cleared his throat. Even though he usually had no trouble starting conversations with Ace, he suddenly felt incredibly nervous.</p><p>“I… I got this for you,” he said, tripping over the short sentence. Then, without flourish, he shoved the plastic bag at Ace. It rustled accusingly in front of him. </p><p>“Uh. Okay? Thanks, I think?” Ace took the bag while eyeing him suspiciously. Then, he peered inside it. “What's this?” </p><p>“A wall calendar.”</p><p>Ace blinked at him. “A wall calendar,” he repeated, comprehension not dawning in his face.</p><p>“Yeah, you said you were having trouble remembering the due dates for your homework, right?” Deuce hurriedly said, feeling pressured by the look of confusion Ace was giving him. “I thought it would be easier to keep track of the dates if you had a physical thing to look at instead of a screen, so—” </p><p>“So you got me a <em>wall </em>calendar?” Ace asked, pulling the calendar from the bag.</p><p>“Yes…?” Sweat was starting to form on Deuce's forehead, and it wasn't because he just finished track-and-field practice.</p><p>“You know,” Ace said, annoyance and anger running under the current of his voice, “people would usually give someone a daily planner or something for that, not a freakin' calendar. And you couldn't have even gotten me a desk calendar instead?” </p><p>Deuce winced. Oh. He hadn't thought of that. Now that Ace mentioned it, though, a daily planner sounded like a much better idea than a calendar.</p><p>“And what the hell, man? Why'd you get me a calendar of Magical Wheels? That's what you like, not me! You could've gotten me literally anything else! Like a calendar of kittens or something!” </p><p>“W-Would you have preferred that?” he asked in a wilting voice. </p><p>“No! It's just an example!” Ace exploded, slapping his forehead in disbelief. “Ugh, you're such an idiot!”</p><p>“Sorry,” Deuce said in panic. “Do you not want it? I can take it back if you don't—” </p><p>“Screw you!” he said, holding the calendar and empty bag possessively. “I'm keeping this thing!”</p><p>“Oh, uh… Okay.” </p><p>“I'm going now! Don't follow me, dammit,” Ace said in a huff, turning around and storming off in the direction of the school building. “So freakin' stupid… Dumbass…”</p><p>Deuce stared after him. Since Ace had told him not to follow, he didn't. Unfortunately, he also needed to go back to Heartslabyul, so the only thing he could do was stand there, dumbfounded.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Ah…” Cater said, furrowing his eyebrows and smiling. “Usually, I'd say it's the thought that counts, but Ace-chan had a lot of good points…” His guaranteed success was going a lot less smoothly than he was hoping.</p><p>“I'm terrible at giving gifts…” Deuce said in a small voice. He was practically becoming one with the table.</p><p>“Well, it wasn't that bad! He accepted your present in the end, so he didn't hate it, at least!” Cater said.</p><p>“I guess…” He didn't sound very convinced.</p><p>Cater picked up his glass and took a sip of his coffee. He knew he was here to give Deuce advice, but he couldn't help feeling bad for Ace too. It must be tough liking a guy this dense. Then again, maybe it was Deuce's straightforward nature that appealed to Ace in the first place. He nodded quietly to himself. Cater could understand how Ace felt.</p><p>Still, he couldn't believe how far off the mark Deuce was when he chose a present. He was going to have to give Deuce extremely specific and explicit instructions from now on to avoid another disaster. Even if Ace reciprocated Deuce's feelings, Cater had a feeling they shouldn't push their luck that much.</p><p>“Look, since we're already out and about today, why don't we try to think of something else you can give Ace-chan? That might make him think better of you.” Cater offered Deuce a warm smile.</p><p>Deuce looked up from his cup and returned the smile. “Okay. Thank you.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Cater looked thoughtfully in the mirror in front of him and turned his head. The hat he had on was nice, but he wasn't completely convinced it was what he wanted. He was about to ask Deuce for his opinion when he spotted Deuce perusing the clothing racks with the loudest and most garishly patterned shirts he had ever seen in his life. The sight convinced him to refrain from asking. It seemed like Deuce's poor judgment extended into his fashion sense too.</p><p>Since he couldn't ask Deuce for help, Cater took out his phone and snapped a quick selfie instead, complete with his signature smile and wink. The hat was only good if it looked nice in his photos, after all. A quick look at the picture, and Cater removed the hat. He placed it back on the rack. Maybe not. </p><p>“Hm?” He looked a little closer at the screen then turned around. He didn't realize it, but there was a flower shop across from the clothing store they were in. If he hadn't inadvertently captured a part of the floral displays in his selfie, Cater probably wouldn't have noticed it. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “Hey, Deuce-chan?” </p><p>Deuce looked up from holding two hangers, both holding very obnoxious shirts. “Yes?” </p><p>Cater winced. He was going to have to find some way to politely tell Deuce not to buy either of those shirts. But first, he had to tell him his great idea. “This might sound cliché, but why don't you get Ace-chan some flowers?” He gestured to the flower shop across the way from them. </p><p>“Flowers…” Deuce said, face full of open wonder. It was like he had never heard of such a beautiful thing in his life.</p><p>“I wouldn't give him a full bouquet out of nowhere, since that's expensive and overkill, but maybe you could get him one or two flowers.” Cater twirled his hair around his finger. “It'd be kind of obvious as to why you're giving them to him, but if being obvious is your goal, that could be a good option.”</p><p>“That's perfect!” Deuce said happily, his eyes shining. “Crewel-sensei just told us yesterday that we'll be practicing fine magic control next week! We’ll be growing flowers with our magic from seed to do that!”</p><p>“There you go, then,” Cater said, pointing at him and smiling.</p><p>“You always have the best ideas, Diamond-senpai!” Deuce gushed. “Thank you!”</p><p>“Hehe. Well, I don’t know if I would go that far, but you’re welcome.”</p><p>Cater nodded sagely. Now that he had given Deuce clear and concise directions, there was no way he could fail. Ace was going to be swept off his feet in no time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This has nothing to do with this story or Twst in general, but I started fostering cats! =D I made a <a href="https://twitter.com/_meowmeows">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/___meowmeows/">Instagram</a> for my fostering adventures, so you can follow them for cat videos and pictures. For Traitor and DeuAce stuff, though, you'll have to follow my disaster of a <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind">main Twitter</a>. Lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Diamond-senpai…”</em>
</p>
<p>The message from Deuce was short, and Cater almost didn’t even need to see the sad reaction sticker that followed it to know things hadn’t gone well. He sighed. What could have possibly happened this time?</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“They were radish seeds.”</p>
<p>“They were what?” Cater looked up from his bowl and asked through a mouthful of ramen. After receiving confirmation that things hadn’t gone as planned, Cater invited Deuce out that weekend for lunch at his favorite ramen restaurant. He figured bad news broken over good food would be more palatable, pun intended.</p>
<p>“Radish seeds,” Deuce repeated, nibbling on the edge of his soggy sheet of seaweed sadly. “I thought they were rose seeds, but they were radishes…”</p>
<p>Cater swallowed his noodles and licked the corner of his mouth to get rid of the broth there. “Aren’t all the seed packets in the greenhouse labeled, though?”</p>
<p>Deuce put down his chopsticks and sighed. “Yes, but I was so nervous thinking about how I was going to grow flowers for Ace that I didn’t read them properly…”</p>
<p>“I mean, I guess all seeds more or less look alike if you don’t know what they are…” Cater said, furrowing his eyebrows. At this point, he wasn’t sure if Deuce just had incredibly bad luck, or if he was simply that clumsy. Though he hadn’t memorized the greenhouse’s stock of seeds by any means, Cater was pretty sure all of them were categorized by type, so produce seeds shouldn’t have been in the same section as flower seeds, so… maybe Deuce was just that clumsy.</p>
<p>“When he saw I had grown a bunch of radishes, he laughed so hard at me, he started crying.” Deuce buried his face into his hands and let out a short, dry sob himself.</p>
<p>Cater reached over awkwardly and patted him on the shoulder. Maybe he should start charging Deuce for his services, seriously. At this point, he was going to get personally involved so Deuce doesn’t completely blow his chances at dating Ace. “You don’t have to be so sad, Deuce-chan. I don’t think you’re completely out of the running yet.” Cater winced internally and silently tacked on “I hope” at the end of his statement.</p>
<p>Deuce looked up from his hands. “What else can I possibly do, though?”</p>
<p>“Um,” Cater said, balking. “Good question.” He regretted opening his mouth before thinking things through. He gnawed on his bottom lip and wracked his brain for inspiration. Then, it dawned on him. “I know! They say the fastest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, right? Why don’t you try making something for him? Well, the kitchen back in the dorm has nothing but baking supplies, so you might be better off baking something.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know how to cook or bake, though…”</p>
<p>That information didn’t exactly surprise Cater. He barely knew how to slap together simple dishes himself, after all. Technically, their best bet here was to ask Trey for help, but Cater didn’t want to get him too involved, since… He shook his head and his thoughts away.</p>
<p>“I’ll help you out, so no worries!” Cater said, smiling in a hopefully convincing way. Baking definitely wasn’t his forte, but maybe they would be okay as long as they found an easy enough recipe to follow. “I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to make anything close to Trey-kun’s level, but it’ll be edible, at least!”</p>
<p>“Are you sure, Diamond-senpai? You’ve already done so much for me already.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure, I’m sure! Actually, there’s no way we can give up after everything we’ve done up to this point.” It was a matter of pride for Cater since he really didn’t want his first time helping someone with love troubles to fail miserably. But it would also be a terrible shame if Deuce threw in the towel now, especially since both he and Ace liked each other. Heartslabyul didn’t need more than one romantic tragedy going on.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Deuce said, bowing his head. “I really owe you one.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it. If you really feel that bad about it, you can just pay for my meal here. How about it?” He felt vaguely guilty for making someone younger than him spot the check, but this was only fair.</p>
<p>“O-Okay! I can do that!” Deuce said a little too loudly.</p>
<p>“Sweet! Thanks, Deuce-chan. Anyway, we should strike while the iron’s hot and try making something ASAP for practice. Are you free tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“I have some homework that’s due on Monday, but I think I should be okay?”</p>
<p>Cater nodded. “Good. We can try baking in the afternoon. That should leave you plenty of time to do your homework at night, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah!”</p>
<p>“It’s a date, then,” Cater said with a wink.</p>
<p>Deuce nodded firmly as well, looking pleased.</p>
<p>Cater pressed his lips together. He was going to make this work come hell or high water.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Trey looked around the warm kitchen, making sure everything was tidy. The dishes he used were all washed, the ingredients put away, and the oven turned off. “Okay, good,” he said under his breath, wiping his hands dry on the dish towel he was holding. One of his sleeves was coming unrolled, so he hastily pushed it back up past his elbow.</p>
<p>Just at that moment, he spotted Cater passing by the kitchen. “Oh, Cater,” he said, a smile floating to his lips naturally, “perfect timing.”</p>
<p>At the sound of his name, Cater’s paused and turned his way. His expression was blank at first, but the second he realized it was Trey calling out to him, a bright grin spread across his face.</p>
<p>“Hey, Trey-kun!” he said with a wave. “What’s up? You need me for something?” He strolled into the kitchen and stopped in front of Trey.</p>
<p>“Yeah. It’s not urgent or anything, but I just finished baking a meat pie. I was wondering if you could give it a taste and let me know what you think of it.” He was already moving to cut a slice out for Cater when he noticed his expression.</p>
<p>“Oh, um…” Cater bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, Trey-kun, I just came back from having lunch with Deuce-chan, so… I’m really full right now.”</p>
<p>“Ah… Is that so?” He lowered his hands hesitantly. “I guess it is pretty late in the afternoon. It would’ve been weirder if you hadn’t eaten already.”</p>
<p>“I’m really sorry,” Cater said with his eyebrows furrowed.</p>
<p>“That’s alright,” Trey said, smiling softly. “It’s not your fault. It’ll still taste good tomorrow, so why don’t we have it for lunch then?”</p>
<p>Cater sucked air through his teeth and looked even more apologetic. “Trey-kun, I <em>promise</em> I’m not trying to avoid you or anything, but I actually have plans for tomorrow afternoon too.”</p>
<p>Trey blinked. Truthfully, he shouldn’t have been surprised that Cater was busy. He had so many friends, after all. It wasn’t odd that his schedule was packed. But somehow, it was. Up until now, Cater had never rejected his invitations to hang out or eat so many times in a row.</p>
<p>His gaze fell to the towel he was holding onto, and he absentmindedly started drying the spaces between his fingers as a distraction. “No, that’s fine. I’m sure I can grab someone else to test out the recipe,” he said, looking up and smiling. His heart wasn’t quite in it, though. “Maybe you dodged a bullet by not being my first test subject.”</p>
<p>“No way!” Cater exclaimed. The volume of his own voice appeared to startle him, and Cater cleared his throat in embarrassment. Then, softer, he said, “Everything you make is always really good.”</p>
<p>Trey cocked an eyebrow dubiously at him. “Says the one who hates eating sweet stuff?”</p>
<p>“I mean, they taste as good as they can to someone who doesn’t like eating sweet stuff. And I meant the quiches and other stuff you bake too, okay?”</p>
<p>“I know,” Trey said. This time when he smiled, it wasn’t as empty. “I was just teasing you.”</p>
<p>“Trey-kun…” Cater pouted, but his glare held no trace of actual anger. “Anyway, I really am sorry for canceling on you, like, three times in a row. It’s just…” he said, breaking his sentence up with a sigh, “Deuce-chan is such a mess.” A warm and fond smile made Cater’s face glow.</p>
<p>Trey tightened the line of his lips unconsciously. “Really now?”</p>
<p>Cater laughed and waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, well, I’m sure you know how much of a disaster he usually is, but seriously! He’s a lot worse than I thought he was. Still,” Cater said with a faraway look in his eyes, “it’s pretty cute how hard he tries.”</p>
<p>“… Is that so?” Trey turned back to the sink and hung the dish towel back on the hook. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to keep looking at Cater. The soft expression on his face made Trey’s chest feel sour.</p>
<p>Behind him, Cater giggled. “Yep. Honestly, it’s pretty endearing watching him sometimes.”</p>
<p>Trey hummed noncommittally under his breath. It felt like something was squeezing his heart. It was an unpleasant feeling, but he couldn’t put his finger on what the feeling was. He breathed in deeply and put a smile on again before turning around. “I’m glad you’re having fun with him.”</p>
<p>“Hmm…” Cater began twirling his hair between his fingers. “Yeah, but I wish things would go a little more smoothly, though…”</p>
<p>More smoothly? As in… for things between Cater and Deuce? Judging from their current conversation, that was the only logical conclusion Trey could draw, but… he found that he didn’t like it very much.</p>
<p>Cater’s face lit up as he remembered something. “Oh! That’s right. Trey-kun, do you know any easy-to-make desserts? Like, easy enough for even me to make.”</p>
<p>The sudden, random question was enough to throw his already messy thoughts into further disarray. “A dessert?” He couldn’t help but wonder why Cater was asking such a thing. Did he want to bake a dessert? It had to be for someone else, then, since he didn’t like sweets himself. But for who? And why? He was equal parts curious to know and unwilling to ask. In the end, his reluctance to receive a definitive answer won out. Ignorance, even if it was only willful ignorance, might truly be bliss.</p>
<p>“Yeah! It doesn’t have to look beautiful or anything as long as it tastes good.”</p>
<p>It took Trey a second to gather himself. This was no time to be getting lost in his thoughts. He frowned and put his hand to his chin. “If you’re looking to do something easy, that eliminates anything that requires a pastry crust… A cake would probably be your best bet, but…” He looked around the kitchen and took mental stock of the current inventory. “If you’re not looking to make anything that looks particularly eye-catching, why not a mug brownie?”</p>
<p>“Oh, wait. I’ve heard of those before! Those’re, like, brownies you make by throwing all the ingredients into a mug and microwaving it, right?”</p>
<p>Trey nodded. “Exactly. Those are easy to make and come together really quickly.”</p>
<p>“Nice! I knew you would be the right person to ask!”</p>
<p>He was just about to say, “If you’d like, I can make one with you now so you know how to do it,” Cater spoke up.</p>
<p>“I’m sure I can find a video or two on Magicam on how to make them! I can just follow along with them and figure things out on my own. Thanks so much, Trey-kun.” Cater took his phone out and brought it to his mouth, hiding his smile behind it. In a low voice, almost too soft for Trey to hear, he muttered, “Deuce-chan is going to <em>love</em> this tomorrow…”</p>
<p>Despite purposefully not asking Cater what he needed a dessert recipe for, Trey unfortunately got an answer. At least, he assumed that was the answer to the mystery. Suddenly, he felt a twinge of regret for having suggested the mug brownies to Cater. Suspicion crept into his mind as he tried to piece together the puzzle, and Trey wondered if it was Deuce who Cater had plans with in the afternoon tomorrow. It would make sense, but Trey hoped he was just overthinking things.</p>
<p>His fabricated smile faltered. “You’re welcome.”</p>
<p>“Okay, I got some stuff I need to do, so I’d better leave you alone now. Thanks again for the advice! You really saved me.” He barely gave Trey any time to say goodbye before skipping off, obviously in a good mood.</p>
<p>As Trey watched Cater disappear, humming an airy tune, realization dawned on him. It dripped from the crown of his head down the back of his neck like tacky molasses, unpleasant and intrusive. A harsh, bitter taste crept up his throat and into his mouth, but no matter how many times he swallowed, it wouldn’t go away. He brought a hand up to his chest and fisted the fabric of his apron there.</p>
<p>He knew what the feeling he had been experiencing around Cater these past two weeks was. He didn’t want to admit it, and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but he knew now.</p>
<p>It was jealousy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The plot thickens! </p>
<p>And in completely unrelated news, I'm slowly translating my way through the Halloween event for Twst. I mean like, really slowly, but eh. If you're interested in reading it, <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind/status/1316350088508133377?s=20">here it is!</a> And if you just want to check out what I'm doing on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind">you can do that too</a>.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really intended this fic to be more humorous than angsty, but I forgot the fact that I'm a Dramatic Binch™.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hmm,” Cater hummed as he glanced around them and pointed absentmindedly at all the ingredients they had put on the counters. “I think that should be everything.”</p>
<p>He and Deuce were currently standing in Heartslabyul's kitchen, jackets and vests off, shirt sleeves rolled up to their elbows, and simple aprons on. It was Sunday, and they were getting ready for their great baking experiment.</p>
<p>Deuce nodded. “Yeah…” he said, sounding less sure.</p>
<p>Cater laughed. “Aw, come on, Deuce-chan! We haven't even started anything yet. You don't have to be so nervous already.”</p>
<p>“R-Right,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows in determination.</p>
<p>“Did you watch the video I sent you for reference?” Cater asked while taking his phone out and opening his Magicam app. He expertly navigated through the app and found the video in question.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he answered. “Five times. Just in case.”</p>
<p>“Ahaha…” Cater smiled vaguely and nodded. Now that Deuce was standing right in front of him and preparing to make something for Ace, Cater finally understood why he kept messing up. Deuce was the most nervous of all nervous wrecks. In fact, he was practically phasing out of their dimension, he was so nervous. “Well,” Cater said, “at least you sound prepared.”</p>
<p>“I am!” Deuce replied a little too loudly. He winced then, in a lower voice, said, “Sorry…”</p>
<p>“You're fine, you're fine. Anyway,” Cater said, waving his hand flippantly, “let's get started with this! I'll read you the instructions, so just follow them, okay? Since I'll be here to supervise you, you don't have to worry about messing up or anything.”</p>
<p>“Okay. Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Alright, first things first, you have to measure out some flour…”</p>
<p>The recipe for mug cup brownies wasn't hard to follow and mainly involved measuring some dry ingredients together before dumping wet ingredients into the same mug. Then, it was simply a matter of mixing everything together thoroughly and sticking it into the microwave. </p>
<p>Deuce being Deuce, however, meant that he ended up knocking over the bag of flour; nearly mixed up the salt and sugar; and, for some reason, dropped the bottle of vanilla extract into the mug while trying to pour some out. Most of their baking adventure was spent cleaning up the messes he made every step of the way.</p>
<p>Cater was sure it was just nerves, though. There was no way he was this clumsy all the time. Right?</p>
<p>“Phew! Okay,” Cater said after patting his hands over the sink to get rid of the cocoa powder he had scraped off the counter, “I think we're ready to microwave this thing!”</p>
<p>“Okay!” Deuce said, holding the mug with both hands as if his life depended on it. He opened the microwave and placed the mug gently on the turntable. Then he closed it and stared pensively at the buttons. “Umm… The video said to microwave it until a toothpick comes out clean when we poke the middle… Maybe 20 minutes will do?” </p>
<p>“If you want to set the entire dorm on fire, sure,” Cater said, grimacing. “Let's try three minutes first, okay?”</p>
<p>“O-Oh, yeah. That makes a lot more sense…” He nodded sheepishly and punched in three minutes on the machine.</p>
<p>Waiting for the brownie to cook was simultaneously more and less exciting than waiting for a cup of instant noodles to finish cooking, and Cater wasn't sure how to feel about that. He might've felt better if Deuce didn't pace and fuss in front of the microwave like a nervous gambler waiting for the results of a lottery draw to be announced.</p>
<p>Finally, three minutes passed, and the machine dinged. Deuce nearly flung the door off the microwave and stared at the steaming mug with a look of apprehension and a toothpick in hand. He held his breath as he stuck the brownie in the very center with the toothpick and carefully pulled it out.</p>
<p>“It’s clean!” he exclaimed, happiness blooming over his face as he turned around to look at Cater.</p>
<p>“Nice!” he replied, decidedly less excited but glad to see how pleased Deuce was with himself.</p>
<p>Deuce picked up a tea towel from the kitchen counter and took the mug out as if it was an irreplaceable glass chalice. He set it on the counter and peered at the contents. “It… smells good, but it doesn’t look that appetizing,” he said honestly.</p>
<p>“Hmm.” Cater looked at the mug too, and he agreed. It was a good thing he was prepared for something like this. “Yeah, but that’s alright! I got an idea that can help.” He patted Deuce on the shoulder reassuringly and headed to the dorm’s cupboard, grabbed a few boxes from it, then moved over to the refrigerator.</p>
<p>“Do you need help?” Deuce asked when he saw Cater taking case after plate after bowl from the fridge.</p>
<p>Cater grunted as he balanced another plate precariously on top of his stack and said, “No, I’m fine. Just a second…” He tottered back to Deuce and put all the containers he had retrieved onto the countertop. “The brownie doesn’t look awesome now, but once you decorate it, it’ll look practically gourmet!”</p>
<p>Deuce’s eyes sparkled with awe as he looked at the heavy cream, bowls of fresh fruit, and boxes of assorted cookies Cater spread out in front of the two of them. “Diamond-senpai,” he said with wonder, “you’re a genius!”</p>
<p>“Hehe, of course.” Cater winked at him. He wasn’t a Magicam pro for nothing. There were few things that a bit of whipped cream and shiny fruits couldn’t solve in the world of desserts.</p>
<p>“Okay, now you just need to slice up some fruits, whip up the cream, and you’re golden! I've got a small tub of vanilla ice cream in the fridge you can top the brownie off with too. Here, I found some reference pictures you can use. I mean, you don’t have to copy them exactly, but maybe they’ll be good inspiration.”</p>
<p>Deuce looked at Cater, appearing on the verge of grateful tears. “I can’t believe you prepared so much for me… Thank you.”</p>
<p>Although he was taken aback first, Cater’s look of surprise quickly softened. “Nah,” he said, “I just want to make sure things work out for you.”</p>
<p>“I’ll do my best!” Deuce said, bringing his fist to his chest proudly.</p>
<p>“Good. Now come on, let’s get this fruit cut up!”</p>
<p>It was a bit harrowing watching Deuce handle a knife, but he managed to prepare them without much fuss. It took longer than it probably should have, and the fruit slices weren’t the most beautiful things in the world, but Deuce had put his all in cutting them, and that was what mattered.</p>
<p>“Not bad,” Cater said, holding up one of the less lopsided pieces of strawberries. “Next is the whipped cream. Alright, Deuce-chan, get to work!” He fished out a whisk from one of the drawers and thrust it at Deuce. “Put some heavy cream and sugar into a bowl and whip it up. After a while, it’ll become nice and fluffy.”</p>
<p>“Got it!” Deuce took the whisk and grinned.</p>
<p>Soon, Deuce was standing before a big bowl with heavy cream and sugar, whisk in hand, and a fire in his eyes. He went to town on the bowl and barely managed not to splash the milk all over the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Uh,” Cater said over the sound of whisks hitting the side of the bowl rapidly, “don’t whip it too hard, or else you’ll end up with butter!” He had a feeling that was exactly what would happen if he didn’t warn him beforehand, especially with the speed and force Deuce was using on the cream.</p>
<p>In no time, the cream became light and whipped. Cater nodded approvingly at it and smiled. “Awesome, that was so fast! Now you have to put it all together. Do you want to see the pictures again?”</p>
<p>“Yes, please!” Deuce beamed, flecks of cream spattered on his apron.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, the two of them were standing in front of Deuce’s masterpiece.</p>
<p>“Well, y’know,” Cater said, peering at the dessert from several angles, “it’s not bad for your first mug brownie!” He snapped a couple of pictures of it.</p>
<p>The brownie was certainly no Clover-crafted confectionary, but it was decent-looking. It really did look much more appetizing with a scoop of ice cream; a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream; and slices of strawberry, wedges of kiwi, and round drops of blueberries. Chocolate-covered cookies served as the backdrop for the fresh fruit, and at the very top of all the cream rested a perfect, shiny maraschino cherry.</p>
<p>“This is better than I thought I could ever make!” Deuce said, eyes sparkling. “This is all thanks to your help, Diamond-senpai. There’s no way I could’ve done this on my own!”</p>
<p>“Aw, you’re exaggerating, Deuce-chan. All I did was make sure you didn’t destroy the kitchen and give you a few pointers along the way. Anyway,” he said, twirling some of his loose bangs between his fingers, “do you want to give it a taste test? It’s good that it looks pretty, but the most important part is to make sure it’s tasty too!”</p>
<p>“Thank you.” He took the spoon Cater offered him and gingerly dug it into the mug. The brownie was still a little warm and steamed when he lifted out a spoonful, and Deuce stared at it for a moment before putting it in his mouth. There was a pause… and then, his face lit up.</p>
<p>Cater laughed, brought up his phone, and expertly snapped a perfect picture of Deuce.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It was nighttime, and Trey’s room was quiet save the sound of a pen scratching the surface of a sheet of paper. Various folders and stacks of forms sat on his desk as he checked through all of them. His concentration was starting to fray, however, and it completely broke when he heard a soft snicker off to his right. Trey lowered his pen and looked over to his bed where Cater was sitting with his legs crossed.</p>
<p>There was a huge stack of papers beside him and several smaller, messier piles spread out in front of him. Cater had apparently felt really guilty about turning down Trey’s invitations to hang out multiple times, so he offered to do a favor for him as a way to make up for his absence. Unfortunately for him, Trey just happened to have a bunch of paperwork he needed to take care of that evening, which is how they ended up in their current situation. But instead of working on sorting out the papers like he was supposed to, Cater was staring at his phone and giggling.</p>
<p>Trey sighed. He knew it was tedious work, and he was starting to grow tired too, but he was actually depending on Cater to help him out. “Cater, aren’t you supposed to be going through those papers?”</p>
<p>“I’m on a break!” he answered easily with a wide smile. “You should take one too, Trey-kun. You’ve been working on those forms for forever.”</p>
<p>He would have liked to protest, but Trey knew that Cater was right. Rather than try to force himself to focus, it was probably best to take a short break and refresh himself. He sighed once more and put down his pen. “Fine.” Trey pushed back from his desk.</p>
<p>“Yay, break time!” Cater said and raised his arms cheerfully. He dropped them down quickly and went back to going through his phone.</p>
<p>Since he was looking at it from a strange angle, Trey couldn’t really tell, but he assumed Cater was browsing through his camera roll again. He wouldn’t be surprised. This was around the time Cater would post up his nightly update. “Looking for something to put on Magicam?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Something like that…” Cater paused and tilted his head to one side while still looking at his screen. “Well, not really. I’m just going through today’s pics for fun.”</p>
<p>“Take any good ones?”</p>
<p>“Yep!” Cater replied cheerfully. “Wanna see?” He started shoving aside the piles of papers without waiting for Trey to answer. It didn’t take long before he had cleared out an area big enough for Trey to sit at. He also scooted closer to the edge of the bed.</p>
<p>Trey smiled. “Sure.” He stood from his seat and moved over to the spot Cater prepared for him. Almost immediately, Cater was next to him and showing Trey his phone.</p>
<p>“So you know how it was kinda cold this morning? Well, I was on my way to the sports field when I got this shot…”</p>
<p>Cater continued on in this manner, tapping on pictures he liked the most and explaining the story behind each of them. Occasionally, he asked Trey for advice on which version of a picture he liked better and saved it for later. Having to choose between similar photographs was such a small thing, but it made Trey happy. Maybe Cater was just asking for the sake of asking, but it was proof that Trey’s opinions actually mattered to him.</p>
<p>Trey wouldn’t have minded sitting there longer, just listening to the cadence of Cater’s voice go up and down to match his excitement. The occasional laughs which threaded their way into the conversation made him sound that much more melodic. But good things somehow never lasted too long, and the easy flow of Cater’s stories took a sharp turn.</p>
<p>“Oh!” he cried out, tapping on a picture and expanding it.</p>
<p>It looked just like a mug with whipped cream and fruits to Trey, and it wasn’t an extraordinarily well-taken shot, so he wasn’t sure what Cater was so excited about. It didn’t take long for him to understand, though.</p>
<p>“Okay, so you know how I asked you for dessert advice, and you suggested I could try making a mug brownie?” Cater asked and tucked some of his loose bangs behind his ear. “Well, Deuce-chan and I tried making one today, and it turned out great! Look, isn’t this cute? Deuce-chan was the one who put this all together!”</p>
<p>Of all the pictures he had shown Trey, this one was the one he sounded the proudest and most excited about. Cater’s eyes were practically shining, and it looked like he couldn’t keep the smile off his face either.</p>
<p>In contrast to that, Trey’s mood started to sour. He knew it was illogical to get upset since he was nothing to Cater but a friend, but that didn’t stop his chest from squeezing painfully as he half-listened to Cater go on.</p>
<p>“Look how lopsided the shapes he cut are! Aren’t they adorable?” Cater said, pinching and zooming into the picture.</p>
<p>“… Yeah,” Trey said, forcing a smile into his voice. Thankfully, Cater was so absorbed in his pictures to notice anything was off with Trey.</p>
<p>“I got the perfect shot of him when he took the first bite of it too. Look at his face! So cute!”</p>
<p>Deuce did indeed look ecstatic in the shot, and in any other circumstance, Trey would have thought him endearing, but he felt nothing but bitterness in that moment. “Are you going to post these up on Magicam?” The question slipped from his mouth before he was able to process it, and he regretted it the second he asked it. He didn’t want to know the answer to that.</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Cater said, tilting his head to the side, “nah, not these ones. I’m going to keep these ones private. They’re our little secret.” He winked at Trey. Then, he went back to browsing his photos.</p>
<p>Trey’s chest constricted again. Why? Why didn’t Cater want to post his pictures of Deuce and the mug brownie? Why was he keeping them a secret? And when Cater said it was “our little secret,” who was he talking about? Him and Deuce? Him and Trey…?</p>
<p>As Cater went through his shots, he kept telling Trey to look, to notice, to pay attention, and Trey kicked himself for never doing so. How could he have never realized Cater liked Deuce? Sure, he was awkward and clumsy, but at least he was earnest… unlike Trey. There was charm in that, and it obviously suited Cater’s taste.</p>
<p>But the thing Trey was more frustrated with, beside his unjustified jealousy, was the fact that he never realized the feelings he harbored for Cater leaned past the threshold of wanting to be “just” friends. Even by labeling what they had as a “best friend” status had been wrong. But it had been so comfortable and easy to deal with. It had felt like they had the perfect distance between them. Or maybe that was just what Trey just kept telling himself because he was afraid Cater would try to run away if he attempted to deepen what they had beyond a friendship.</p>
<p>However, whether it was through willful or accidental ignorance, it was now far too late to do anything about it.</p>
<p>Cater seemed so happy with Deuce, and he had no right to try to keep them apart. It was absurd to even want to do that. As much as it hurt, Trey knew that if he truly cherished Cater, then what was most important was that he was happy. And that was whether or not Trey was with him by his side. It was his fault for not noticing his own feelings earlier anyway. Now that it was too late, the best he could do was support Cater and Deuce in whatever way he could.</p>
<p>“Anyway, thanks again for the mug brownie suggestion, Trey-kun. Seriously, I don’t know what I would do without you!” Cater knocked their shoulders together playfully.</p>
<p>Trey just smiled without saying anything.</p>
<p>“Oh, we should probably get back to work. That took up a lot more time than I expected. Sorry ‘bout that!”</p>
<p>Trey stood up from the bed at Cater’s suggestion and nodded. “… Right,” he said. “Of course.”</p>
<p>He turned away and clenched his jaw. He had more than two years to figure things out, but of course it wouldn’t be now until he actually understood what he felt.</p>
<p>He wished he had realized sooner. He wished he could turn back time. He wished he hadn’t taken Cater’s constant presence and companionship for granted.</p>
<p>But mostly, he wished he was the one Cater liked.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Been feeling kind of antsy lately, so I'm taking drabble requests on Twitter! You can check out <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind/status/1337235039252140033?s=20">this thread</a> for more info. Drop me a request if you'd like. You can even do it anonymously!</p>
<p>Also, I finally (FINALLY) finished translating the Halloween event for Twst, so if you're interested in that, you can <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind/status/1316350088508133377?s=20">read it here</a>.</p>
<p>Ooh, one last thing. Did you know I'm fostering cats now? I tweet lots of cute pictures, videos, and stories about them regularly, so you should check out <a href="https://twitter.com/_meowmeows">my Twitter for them</a>!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hoooooo, boy. Didn't mean to take 73 years to update this fic, but life got stressful and busy, as it does. :'-)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunday of the next week found Trey walking down the hallways of Heartslabyul alone. It was still before noon, but he wanted to get an earlier start to the day. Trey had just gone down the stairs and reached the first floor when he spotted Ace milling about near the main doorway that led to the common areas. Even from a distance, Trey could see Ace glancing around, fidgeting, and generally acting impatient. Before he could think too deeply about Ace's odd behavior, however, Deuce came dashing down another set of stairs and skidded to a stop before Ace.</p><p>"Sorry I'm late," he wheezed, hunched over with his hands on his knees.</p><p>Ace crossed his arms and frowned. "Took you long enough!"</p><p>"I couldn't sleep last night, so I overslept my alarm..." Deuce looked like a puppy caught out in the rain as he confessed. "Did you wait long?"</p><p>At the sight of Deuce's honestly pathetic form, Ace softened slightly and huffed. "... Not really. I just got here a few minutes ago." His frown deepened when he looked at Deuce a bit more closely. "Did you not comb your hair or something? Look, it's sticking up all over the place here." Ace reached up and gently pushed his fingers through Deuce's hair, yanking on the strands lightly to get them to stay down.</p><p>Deuce opened and closed his mouth a few times as he stood there, and red began to seep into his cheeks and ears. "I-I must've missed that spot."</p><p>It really wasn't any of Trey's business how the two of them were acting, and he shouldn't have been watching as closely as he was in the first place, but the scene before him didn't sit very well with him. He felt like he had swallowed a twig, and it had gotten lodged in his throat.</p><p>He cleared his throat much louder than necessary as he reached the end of the stairs and entered the same space the other two were. Immediately, Deuce and Ace sprang away from each other, like magnets with the same charge facing each other. Now, not only was Deuce bright red, so was Ace.</p><p>"C-Clover-senpai! Good morning," Deuce greeted, standing ramrod straight.</p><p>"Mornin', Trey-senpai." Ace said at the same time.</p><p>"Good morning, you two. I'm glad to see you're both getting along with each other today," he said with an idyllic smile on his face, "but you have to remember that you're in a public space."</p><p>"Yes, of course, sir! Sorry about that!" Deuce replied heartily, truly like a card soldier at attention.</p><p>"Besides," he went on, bitter pettiness tainting his words, "if you act that way, people might get the wrong idea about you two."</p><p>He knew he shouldn't have said that since Deuce and Ace's relationship really didn't have anything to do with him, but he couldn't stay silent about it. What was Deuce thinking, acting the way he was with Ace, when he was already involved with Cater? Trey never got the impression that Deuce was such a terrible person, but maybe he had misread him.</p><p>At that, Deuce stood up even straighter. "There's no misunderstanding! Ace and I are dating!" Then, as if realizing what he had just declared pretty much at the top of his lungs, Deuce flushed darker. "I-I mean, we were going to, uh, properly announce it... after things settled down, but we were going to make it official... Um..."</p><p>"Idiot!" Ace slapped him on the arm and dragged Deuce a few steps away from Trey. "Don't just blurt it out like that, you dumbass! And what the hell do you mean we were going to ‘announce' it? To who? And for what?!"</p><p>"Huh?" Deuce's face filled with confusion as he looked at Ace, who was clearly beyond mortified. "Weren't we going to? I thought it was only right to make an official announcement to Rosehearts-senpai since he's our boss—I mean—dorm leader..."</p><p>"Oh, for..." Ace sighed and slapped a hand to his own forehead, looking very much like he wanted the universe to swallow him whole. "What is he? Our mother? We don't have to report anything to anyone! Hang on, speaking of mothers, don't you dare tell yours! I'm not... I'm not ready yet." At this point, Ace was so red, it was almost impossible to see the heart mark on his left eye.</p><p>"Wait." Trey interrupted the escalating chaos by bringing up a hand. "Wait, what do you mean you two are dating? What about Cater?"</p><p>Deuce furrowed his eyebrows deeply. "Diamond-senpai...? I'm not sure I understand what you mean."</p><p>If it was anyone who had the right to say that, it was Trey, and he was starting to get a headache.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Cater had just finished pinning his hair back when a series of frantic knocks came from his door, startling him. He glanced over from his vanity mirror and closed the drawer while he was at it.</p><p>"One sec!" he called out to whoever was on the other side. He walked over to the door while twisting his bangs to get them to sit right. "Ye—?"</p><p>The second he opened the door, Trey blurted out his name. "Cater." </p><p>"T-Trey-kun?" Cater took a step back and blinked at him. He furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly suspecting the worst. "What's wrong? Is it Riddle-kun?" </p><p>"No," Trey said, sounding completely breathless. He looked like he had just sprinted up a couple flights of stairs and down a hallway or something. "Nothing's wrong, and Riddle's fine. Can I come in?"</p><p>"Uh... sure." Cater couldn't remember the last time he saw Trey acting so flustered, and it was unsettling him a little. "What's the matter?"</p><p>Trey stepped into the room, and Cater closed the door behind him. When he turned around, Trey was facing him with a severe expression on.</p><p>There was a moment of silence, then Trey sucked in a preparatory breath. "I like you."</p><p>Cater blinked. He opened his mouth and closed it. Then, he opened it one more time. "... Huh?" His voice cracked over the singular syllable.</p><p>"I like you," Trey repeated firmly. His eyes bore steadily into Cater's.</p><p>"Wait, what?" Cater laughed in disbelief. "Is this some sort of prank?" he asked, his mouth completely dry and heart beating so fast and loud he could barely hear himself. He slid his gaze from Trey's. "You're... joking, right?"</p><p>"No." Trey pressed his lips into a firm line and swallowed. "This isn't a prank, and I'm not joking. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it, and I'm sorry if you don't feel the same way, but when I saw you with Deuce all the time and heard you talk about nothing but him, it made me feel sick. Terrible. And jealous.</p><p>"It always felt so natural for you to be by my side, so when you suddenly weren't there, I just..." He sucked in a deep breath and cut off his own rambling nonsense. Then, in a small voice, he muttered, "I realized I didn't want you anywhere else but by me."</p><p>"... What?" Cater rasped.</p><p>Nothing Trey was saying made sense to him. What did he mean? There was no way he liked Cater. After more than two years of being together, Trey never expressed any hint of romantic interest in him. Cater had always assumed Trey only saw him as a friend and nothing else. He thought Trey would surely find someone else to fall in love with, and Cater was content to be there to support him through it all as his best friend.</p><p>That's why, all this time, he had kept his own feelings a secret and tried so, so hard to quell them. Yet it never worked, and his unrequited love wrapped around his heart, making him remember every second they were together that fate was never kind to him.</p><p>"Cater," Trey said seriously, "I like you." He took a step toward Cater. "Do you like me...?"</p><p>"I..."</p><p>Trey was standing so close to him, Cater could feel his breath on his face. Yet none of this felt real.</p><p>It didn't seem possible that Trey liked him, but when he looked closer and saw how red Trey's face and ears were, a small glimmer of hopefulness made his heart beat faster. His eyes and throat burned. Was he dreaming? If he was, then he wanted to at least confess before he woke up and realized it was all in his head.</p><p>"... I like you too."</p><p>The tension in Trey's face completely melted away, and his shoulders relaxed. "Thank goodness." That's all he said before he wrapped Cater in his arms and held him tight. "I was so scared."</p><p>Trey felt incredibly warm and solid. Cater had no idea being hugged by him would feel so good and reassuring. Since Trey was taller and more built than Cater, he practically engulfed him in his embrace. Shakily, he brought up his own hands and settled them on Trey's back. They stood there like that for a handful of seconds just to bask in each other's presence.</p><p>Then, Trey gently leaned back. He cleared his throat, face flushed and shiny with a sheen of sweat. "Can I kiss you?"</p><p>Cater's entire body went up in fire at the question, and he completely lost his voice. All he could do was stare at Trey with wide eyes. He tried swallowing, but there was unfortunately no saliva in his mouth. After a long second, he nodded.</p><p>Trey's face lit up. He moved his hands from Cater's shoulders to his jaw, which he gently cradled with his large palms.</p><p>When Trey leaned in with half-lidded eyes, Cater instinctively closed his too. A soft, dry sensation pressed itself against his mouth, and Cater stiffened in nervousness. He was kissing Trey. He was really doing it. It felt so surreal, and he felt lightheaded.</p><p>Neither of them moved for a moment, but then, Cater parted his lips and licked Trey's mouth tentatively. He felt Trey jump a bit in surprise, but he almost immediately opened his mouth as well. Cater pressed his tongue into Trey's mouth and touched their tongues together. He shivered when Trey tilted his head to deepen their kiss and responded enthusiastically.</p><p>Since it was their first kiss, neither of them knew what to do, and nerves still kept them from pushing things too far. But Cater was more than content with this. Trey's hands caressing his face, his tongue reaching just a bit deeper into his mouth, his elevated breath fanning over his cheeks... It was enough to make his heart feel fuller than he ever dared for it to feel.</p><p>Finally, after what felt like too long and too short of a kiss, they parted. Shy embarrassment was evident in both of their loose, silly smiles as they gazed at each other.</p><p>"Am I dreaming?" Cater reached up and rested his hand on Trey's neck. He could easily feel how fast Trey's pulse was beating beneath his skin.</p><p>"No," Trey said, closing his eyes and kissing him on the cheek, "but it really feels that way, doesn't it?"</p><p>Cater breathed in Trey's warmth and scent. "... Yeah."</p><p>This felt like too much. How could he have lucked out like this? He never thought this would be possible, but here he was. As Cater indulged himself in Trey's hug, his mind scrubbed back through everything that had just happened in the last few minutes.</p><p>Then, he remembered something. He pushed away from Trey.</p><p>"Wait, did you say that you were jealous of Deuce-chan earlier? Did you think there was something going on between us?"</p><p>Trey averted his eyes and tightened his lips.</p><p>"How did you even reach that conclusion?" Cater asked in disbelief.</p><p>Trey sighed.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Diamond-senpai...?" Deuce asked with his head tilted to the side. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."</p><p>"I thought you were going out with Cater," Trey said, incredulity making his voice thin. </p><p>"Huh?!" Deuce looked visibly taken aback. </p><p>"You what?" Ace snapped, glaring at Deuce. </p><p>"No, wait! I'm not— What?" Deuce appeared so confused, question marks were practically circling around his head as he clutched it. </p><p>"You two have been together constantly these past few weeks, and all he ever talks about is you," Trey continued, feeling equally as bewildered as Deuce. </p><p>"Th-That's because I was asking him for advice on how to get Ace to like me!" he blurted. "I didn't know what to do, so Diamond-senpai helped me out."</p><p>The anger on Ace's face melted and gave way to amusement as Deuce's words sank in. "Oh?" he said with a teasing smile, "Is that why you were trying to give me all those 'gifts'? I was wondering how you even came up with those ideas, shitty as they were." </p><p>"I really tried, okay?!" Deuce said, flushing red again. </p><p>"Doesn't make them not shitty," Ace replied flippantly. </p><p>"Ace!"</p><p>"... So you're not going after Cater?" Trey asked. </p><p>Even though his voice was quiet, it was enough to make both Deuce and Ace simmer down and face him.</p><p>"No, of course not," Deuce said, looking perplexed again. "I assumed Diamond-senpai was dating you, which is why I thought he'd be the best person to ask for dating advice since he has more experience."</p><p>"Yeah," Ace chimed in. "I mean, I dunno how stealthy you two thought you were being, but the entire dorm practically knows you're together. I wouldn't be surprised if at least half the school knew, actually." </p><p>"I..." Trey's mouth went dry. </p><p>"Clover-senpai?" </p><p>"I have to go somewhere." </p><p>"Trey-senpai! You're not supposed to run in the hallways!"</p><p>Ace's cheeky remark followed him as he sprinted back up the stairs. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Ahaha! Oh my gosh, that's hilarious!" Cater said and squeezed Trey tightly. "How adorable! I can't believe you were jealous of <em>Deuce</em>-chan of all people. I mean, he's seriously cute, but that boy is an absolute disaster! I can't believe you actually thought I liked him that way!"</p><p>Trey sulked silently as Cater laughed at his expense. "What else was I supposed to think? All of a sudden, you were meeting him all the time and talking about him every time we met... And you kept turning down my offers to hang out just to be with him."</p><p>"Well," Cater said sheepishly, pulling on his bangs a little, "when you put it that way, it does sound a bit suspicious."</p><p>"Exactly."</p><p>Cater laughed at Trey. For someone who was always so controlled and composed, it was hilarious seeing him actually pout. "Sorry. Didn't mean to make you all nervous like that."</p><p>Trey heaved another sigh and smiled in resignation. "It's fine. Besides, if all that didn't happen, we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" </p><p>A smile rose to Cater's lips without bidding, and he tried hard to ignore the itchy burn of a blush that had settled in his cheeks. "True," he said, feeling shy. Getting stared at by Trey with those fond, soft eyes was making him want to run away and hide, so he did so by attempting to change the topic. "Umm, hey! You know, I wonder if Deuce-chan and Ace-chan were getting ready to head out for their date when you caught them. Deuce-chan said that he had made a schedule and everything already, but he didn't tell me the details, so I hope everythi—"</p><p>That was as far as Cater got before Trey tightened his arms around Cater's waist and pulled him closer.</p><p>"Ack! T-Trey-kun?" He pressed his palms against Trey's chest and pushed lightly, but Trey didn't budge at all. </p><p>"You're still talking about other people even though I'm standing right here in front of you?" Trey asked with a teasing smile.</p><p>"... So is this the type of boyfriend you're going to be?" Cater asked, trying to stay composed. He knew he wasn't fooling anyone, though, especially with how hot his face and body felt. His heart was racing too.</p><p>"I don't know," Trey said in response, "I guess we'll just have to find out and see together." </p><p>Cater laughed and wrapped his arms around Trey's neck. Trey's face and ears were completely red, and Cater felt better knowing Trey was feigning nonchalance just as desperately as he was. </p><p>And, of course, he felt infinitely better knowing that Trey liked him just as much as Cater liked him back. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, we're almost at the end! There's just going to be the epilogue, and then we're done! Exciting, right?</p><p>And you know what else is exciting? I started a YT channel for my cat fostering adventures! I only have one video up, but <a href="https://youtu.be/yrCrPFGr5N4">check it out</a> if you want to see cute kitties. Or my face. And know my voice and name? You know, the more I type, the weirder it feels, so I'm just gonna stop.</p><p>Anyway, I'll be on <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind?s=09">Twitter</a> as usual.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Good news: the kitchen wasn't on fire, and no one was hurt.</p><p>Bad news: the mug brownie Deuce was trying to make was not so much in the mug than it was all over the inside of the microwave.</p><p>Deuce has no idea how it happened. He had followed the Magicam video as closely as he could, and the last time he had made a mug brownie with Cater, everything had been completely fine. Yet this time, something had gone terrible wrong and, instead of a nice baking experience, and Deuce had accidentally created a chocolate lava volcano in the microwave.</p><p>He cursed under his breath as he opened the microwave and watched the brownie batter steam and drip down the sides of the metal interior. At least it wasn't so burnt that he had to worry about setting off the fire alarm.</p><p>Good news: Deuce had some basic knowledge of household cleaning since he often helped his mom with chores, so this wouldn't take too long to clean up. </p><p>Bad news: Ace just walked directly into the kitchen.</p><p>"A-Ace!" Deuce yelled and instinctively half-shut the microwave in an attempt to hide the mess he had made.</p><p>Immediately, Ace froze at the doorway, cup in one hand and a single eyebrow raised. "What are you doing? And," he sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose, "why does it smell so burnt in here?"</p><p>"I'm not, uh, doing anything. In particular. What are you doing here?"</p><p>"I was going to get some water, but I get the feeling I should leave ASAP so I don't get in trouble by association for whatever the hell you just did." Yet even as he said that, Ace edged closer to Deuce, his eyes peering suspiciously at the smoking microwave. "Oh my god, did you try microwaving a bar of chocolate or something? Didn't you learn anything from the last time some of us tried to put one of those in the oven?"</p><p>"That's not what I did!" Deuce replied indignantly. "I was trying to make something."</p><p>"Yeah? And what was that supposed to be? Coal?"</p><p>"Screw you!" Deuce yelled, heat climbing up his neck, "It's not even that burnt!"</p><p>Ace snickered. "Uh-huh." He walked closer to Deuce, who had finally just given up trying to hide his failure, and looked inside the microwave. "Seriously, though, what were you trying to make?"</p><p>"A mug brownie," Deuce replied, a heavy sigh mingled with his reluctant answer.</p><p>"What? Those things are super easy to make. How'd you manage to make it explode?"</p><p>"I don't know," Deuce admitted in a defeated tone. "I tried following the instructions of the video as closely as I could, but…" He turned his gaze back at the sad mess that was starting to coagulate in the microwave. He should really start cleaning that soon before the batter cooled and hardened.</p><p>"You should probably get an award for managing to screw up such a simple recipe," Ace said.</p><p>"I—!" A rush of embarrassment made his face go hot. It was bad enough that he messed up, but now he had to suffer the shame of being made fun of by his crush. Not that that was anything new, but still.</p><p>"Seriously, there has to be a limit to how bad a walking disaster you can be…" Ace muttered as he took a closer look at the chocolate crime scene before him. "You know what?" he said suddenly. "I'm feeling generous today. I'll help you make another brownie. It looks like you have more than enough ingredients to try again anyway."</p><p>"Huh?" Deuce blinked, not at all expecting this turn of events.</p><p>"What? You clearly don't have any idea what you're doing, and it'd be a waste of food if you tried again and made another mess."</p><p>"B-But…" Deuce was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Though he would really appreciate the help (and the chance to spend more time alone with Ace), he didn't know how to feel about making Ace unknowingly bake his own gift. Something felt very unorthodox about that, but before he could flounder too deep in his thoughts, Ace spoke up again.</p><p>"Wow, do you not want my help that badly?"</p><p>"N-No!" Deuce said in a panic, "That's not it!"</p><p>"Then what is it?"</p><p>He wilted under Ace's suspicious gaze but couldn't bring himself to say any more. "It's nothing. I'd, uh, really appreciate your help."</p><p>"Good," Ace said with a grin. "You should be grateful that I'm helping you. It's not every day that I offer up my gracious aid to others, you know?"</p><p>Deuce probably wouldn't have said it in so many words, but he was grateful that Ace was willing to lend him a hand. His heart already felt a bit lighter.</p><p>Ace started walking away from the microwave and to the sink. "And now you owe me a favor…"</p><p>Deuce looked up. "Hm? Did you say something?"</p><p>"Nope!" Ace said cheerfully. "You must've been hearing things. Anyway, you start cleaning up that mess, and I'll check out what we need to do. What's the recipe you were following?"</p><p>"Oh, right," Deuce said, turning around to get his phone from the table. "I'll send you the link to the video."</p><p>With the help of some elbow grease and a touch of magic, Deuce managed to clean up the microwave in a flash, and by the time he was ready, Ace was starting to measure ingredients into a mug.</p><p>The two of them stood side by side as they worked, sometimes peering into the screen of Ace's phone to follow the directions and make sure they were doing things right. Occasionally, Ace would tell Deuce to get him that bag or this box of stuff so he could measure it out.</p><p>Ace worked so expertly that it both frustrated and awed Deuce. He might've been good with tinkering with electronics and heavy machinery, but cooking and baking were absolutely outside his realm of expertise. It was amazing the amount of nonchalance Ace worked with, and the way he handled the ingredients and utensils was so full of practiced ease. Deuce felt like he could stand there all day, just watching Ace work.</p><p>Unfortunately, Deuce had fruit to slice and heavy cream to whip into cream, so he couldn't keep staring Ace.</p><p>There was something thrilling about standing in the kitchen together, just the two of them. It wasn't as if they were doing anything particularly noteworthy. They just worked separately, once in a while exchanging words and checking to see what the other person was doing before going back to their own respective task. That was basically it, but it still felt special.</p><p>Sure, Deuce and Ace were practically together all the time since they were in the same dorm and class, but this was different from what they usually did. It wasn't just them, sitting at a table and doing homework or bickering over lunch. It was them, quietly spending time together and enjoying each other's presence.</p><p>For someone who hadn't even confessed his feelings yet, Deuce's imagination sure was running far, but baking with Ace felt so homey and domestic. He wondered if their future could be like this. It'd be nice if it could. Thinking that silly thought made him feel shy and embarrassed and giddy all at the same time, and he didn't know what to do with himself.</p><p>"Hey, uh," Ace said as he looked into the bowl Deuce was holding, "you should probably stop whipping that. It's going to turn into butter if you keep doing that."</p><p>"O-Oh! Right. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly and put the whisk gently into the soft cream. His thoughts had definitely gone too far on their own.</p><p>"And what's with that creepy grin on your face?"</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"Don't 'Huh?' me. You're the one who was smiling at the bowl of cream the entire time you were whipping it." Ace frowned and quirked an eyebrow up.</p><p>"Umm… I was just… thinking about something?" Deuce said, hoping he sounded convincing enough. "Sorry."</p><p>"Yeah, sure," Ace replied while waving his hand dismissively. "Whatever. You don't have to keep apologizing for everything."</p><p>"Sor—"</p><p>Ace gave him a pointed look.</p><p>He swallowed the rest of his sentence.</p><p>"Anyway, the brownie's ready to microwave." Ace held up the mug.</p><p>"Oh, nice. Let's put it in, then."</p><p>They walked to the microwave together. Ace slid the mug in, set the microwave for three minutes, and stepped back. Both of them watched as the mug spun on the turntable (Deuce more nervously than Ace) and waited.</p><p>Thankfully, nothing exploded this time, and the brownie finished baking without incident. Both of them peered at their modest culinary masterpiece after Ace took it out and set it on the countertop.</p><p>"Looks good," Ace said proudly.</p><p>"Yeah," Deuce agreed, "it really does."</p><p>"Alright, time to decorate this thing."</p><p>"Okay!" Deuce smiled widely.</p><p>"What do you have? Ice cream, cookies, cream… Oh, jeez, these fruit slices are… sad," he said, a laugh underlining his voice. "I almost feel bad for them." He picked up a slice of kiwi that was somehow simultaneously thick and thin.</p><p>"Hey! I tried my best, okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, I can really tell." Ace snickered as he looked at the rest of the fruits Deuce had painstakingly cut. "Whatever, though. Won't matter what they look like since they'll just end up in your stomach."</p><p>Deuce bit his lower lip and kept quiet. Right. Ace still thought Deuce was making this for himself.</p><p>"So?" Ace said, casting his eyes over the toppings again. "What's first? The ice cream?"</p><p>"Yeah. And then we can add the whipped cream and…"</p><p>The kitchen was wide, but the two of them stood closely in order to work on the mug brownie together. They argued over what fruits to use and where to put them, whether or not they should keep the cookies whole or crush them as a topping, and whether extra chocolate sauce on top of everything would be overkill. It was fun, though, and the banter was much more light-hearted than their usual fights. It was more playful than teasing and somehow more intimate as well.</p><p>Deuce liked this atmosphere between them, but the closer the mug brownie neared its completion, the more nervous he got. After all, once it was done, it would be time to actually give it to Ace… and confess. He tried and failed not to think too hard about it and, before he knew it, the final touch was being added to the brownie.</p><p>Between his fingers, Ace balanced a glossy maraschino cherry and pressed it gingerly into the peak of the whipped cream. Some of the syrup seeped into the cream and dyed it a soft pink. The cherry didn't budge when Ace removed his hand.</p><p>"There," he said triumphantly. "All done."</p><p>"Yeah," Deuce said.</p><p>"You know, for how terrible your fruit slices are, this actually looks pretty decent," Ace said. "I mean, that's only because I was here to help you decorate it, though."</p><p>That was probably true. Deuce would've liked to have decorated the mug brownie on his own, but it was just so fun working on it with Ace. His suggestions were really good too, and Deuce found himself following all of them. His eye for design wasn't quite the same as Cater's, but Deuce was still wholly impressed by it.</p><p>"So?" Ace said as he walked away from the counter and dropped himself carelessly on one of the chairs by the table. "You're gonna give me at least half of that as thanks for all the help I gave you, right? Or are you gonna be an ungrateful jerk?" He slung an arm over the back of the chair and grinned at Deuce.</p><p>"Actually, um…" Deuce picked up the mug and a spoon with shaking hands and took in a deep breath. He let it out, took in another one, and tried to steel himself. Here was the moment of truth. He walked over to the table, hovered above Ace for a second, and decided to sit down next to him, mug still in his hands.</p><p>Immediately, Ace went on the defensive and straightened in his seat. "Whoa, what? What do you want?"</p><p>"Nothing! Why are you being so suspicious?" Deuce said, embarrassed and mildly offended.</p><p>"'Cause this is you I'm dealing with! And you look suspicious as hell!"</p><p>"Sorry for my face!" Deuce huffed, already losing sight of what he was supposed to do. He shook his head. This wasn't the time to be trying to hide his embarrassment with false bravado. "Look, I—" He sucked in another breath and put the mug on the table. "I… wanted to give this to you." Gently, he pushed the brownie toward Ace.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"... The reason why I was making a mug brownie was because I wanted to give it to you." Deuce knew his face was probably completely red, but he squashed down his flight-or-flight response and went on. He dragged his face up and looked Ace in the eyes. "Ace, I—" he tried saying, but his voice caught in his throat. He cleared it and tried again. "I like you," he said, his words rushing out. "Please go out with me."</p><p>He clenched his fists in his lap and waited, heart racing and sweat beading across his hairline. Everything hinged on how Ace would reply, and he was scared to find out what it would be. </p><p>The entire time, Ace stayed quiet, but now that Deuce was done with his confession, he opened his mouth and said, "Wait, so you made me make my own mug brownie?"</p><p>"I didn't make you make anything! You're the one who offered to help!" Deuce said, not sure why that was the part Ace decided to get caught up on but too tangled up in anxiety to do anything but snap at him instinctively.</p><p>Silently, Ace picked up the spoon Deuce had put on the table and used it to dig into the mug. Without saying anything, he put the spoonful of brownie into his mouth and chewed. After a moment, he said, "Fine."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>Ace peered at him without lifting his head. "I mean… You said you want me to go out with you, so… Yeah, sure. Whatever."</p><p>Deuce's heart leapt to his throat, and he leaned forward in his seat. "Really?!"</p><p>The faint blush that had been steadily creeping into Ace's cheeks darkened significantly, and he averted his eyes. "... I guess."</p><p>"Ace…!" Deuce didn't know what to do with himself, he was so happy. "Does that mean you like me too?"</p><p>"I-I never said that!" Ace said defensively, his face bright red. But then, he deflated and said in a small voice, "But I guess it's not like I hate you or anything…"</p><p>"I'm so glad!" he said, meaning every ounce of it. "Thank you. I promise I'll treasure you and treat you well."</p><p>"Wh-What the hell! Cut that out. We're just going out, not getting married or something. Calm down." His words might have been harsh, but the way he was covering his face and looking away from Deuce made it clear that he was just acting out of embarrassment.</p><p>He couldn't help but smile as he watched Ace squirmed in his chair. It made Deuce feel a lot better knowing he wasn't the only one who was a nervous wreck.</p><p>"Ace," he called out softly. When Ace looked at him, his heart did a weird little flip. "I like you."</p><p>At that, Ace groaned, put his arms on the table, and buried his face in them.</p><p>"Ace?"</p><p>A moment of silence passed. Then, in the smallest voice possible, Ace muttered, "... I like you too, stupid."</p><p>And Deuce grinned.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Aww!" Cater said, leaning his cheek against his palm and smiling. "That's so sweet!"</p><p>Deuce fidgeted in his seat and smiled shyly. "Yeah," he agreed quietly.</p><p>"I'm so happy for you, Deuce-chan," Cater said, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Everything worked out for you!" He paused. "Well, actually, <em> nothing </em>worked out for you, but all's well that ends well, right?"</p><p>He nodded. "And it's all because of your help, Diamond-senpai! I wouldn't have been able to do any of this if not for you."</p><p>"Glad I was able to help." Cater smiled, genuinely feeling relieved that everything turned out okay. There were more than a handful of times he thought all would go to hell, and his first attempt at being a wingman would be a resounding disaster. Thank goodness that hadn't happened. "So?" he asked as he took a sip of tea. "What are your plans for today?"</p><p>"Oh, uh, Ace and I were just going to hang out and do our homework together... I guess that's not any different from what we usually do, though."</p><p>"Eh, it's fine. Not like you guys have to do special stuff together all the time now that you're dating. What's important is that you guys have fun just hanging out or whatever."</p><p>Deuce nodded at his sage advice. "That's true! Thanks, Diamond-senpai. Is that why you and Clover-senpai—"</p><p>Two brisk knocks sounded at the door, and both of them turned to look at it.</p><p>"Cater? It's me."</p><p>Immediately, Cater brightened up at the familiar voice. "Come in!"</p><p>The door opened, and Deuce half-stood from his seat.</p><p>"Clover-senpai! Good afternoon!" he greeted enthusiastically.</p><p>"Hey." Trey smiled at him and walked over to him and Cater. He set down a tray carrying a fresh pot of tea, two plates with savory mini-pies on them, and a paper bag on the table they were at. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."</p><p>"Nah, Deuce-chan just finished up telling me his story."</p><p>"Yes, it's just like Diamond-senpai said! I should get going soon too. I don't want to get in the way," he said.</p><p>"Oh? You're leaving already?" Trey tilted his head in question.</p><p>"Yes, Ace is probably waiting for me," Deuce said.</p><p>"Well," Trey said, picking up the paper bag and holding it out to Deuce, "I won't keep you, then. But at least take this. I made extra meat pies so you can share with Ace. Eat them while they're warm."</p><p>Deuce took the bag in both hands and bowed. "Thank you very much! I'm sure these are great!" He turned to Cater. "Diamond-senpai, thanks again for everything and also for the tea. I should go now."</p><p>"Alrighty!" Cater said airily. "Have fun! And say hi to Ace-chan for me."</p><p>Deuce nodded, bowed at both of them again, and left the room, making sure to close the door after him firmly.</p><p>"So?" Trey asked as he put one hand on the back of Cater's chair and the other on edge of the table in front of him. "What are your plans for today?"</p><p>Cater tilted his head up and half-closed his eyes. "Hmm... I didn't have anything specifically planned..."</p><p>"Good," Trey said as he leaned down.</p><p>When Trey's lips touched his, Cater closed his eyes completely and breathed in deeply. A tingle went up his spine.</p><p>They parted with a soft, chaste noise, and Trey's gazed at him with eyes that looked like caramelized sugar.</p><p>"Then you can finally try these meat pies I made and tell me what you think of them."</p><p>"You're not still holding a grudge against me for ditching you that one time, are you, Trey-kun?" Cater said, mouth pulled in a slanted smile.</p><p>"Of course not," he said, mirroring Cater's mischievous smile. "Why would I be, now that I have you all to myself?"</p><p>Whatever clever answer Cater could have thought up of in that split second disappeared as Trey drew closer to him again and stole his breath away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, it only took me five whole months to finish this fic, but I did it! I never intended it to take this long, but I'm so slow. Haha! But hey, at least I still managed to wrap things up.</p><p>Find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/algidwind?s=09">Twitter</a> for nothing but RTs and chaos.</p><p>Thanks for reading this, and I hope you had fun! Lmk if this made you smile a bit or gave you the dokis. Don't let me know if it didn't. :' )</p>
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